Fancified Frito Pie |#Review of The New Southwest

Frito Pie made with a frito crust, incredible chili filling and topped with mounds of glorious cheddar cheese.

This Fancified Frito Pie is the brainchild of Meagan Micozzi of Scarletta Bakes. I had the pleasure of reviewing her cookbook. I knew this recipe was the one I wanted to share with my readers. The name alone makes me smile. This is not your mother’s frito pie, nor is it a frito pie in a bag. It’s frito pie all grown up and ready for business. As all grown up pies should be.

Let me start by saying how much I adore Miss Meagan Micozzi. I started reading her blog in the summer of 2011. If I remember correctly we both used Foodbuzz back in the day. Meagan was a foodie rock star. I loved visiting her blog. Her posts would make me laugh and I always came away inspired. It took me some time to start commenting. I tend to be shy with bigger bloggers, just who I am. We started commenting back and forth, and developed a wonderful friendship. We both have the same twisted sense of humour. I love her wit, she always comes up with zingers that make me howl with laughter. I am lucky enough to count Meagan among my friends. She is incredibly generous of spirit and always has a way of making me laugh no matter what is going on in my life. Which if you know me there’s some weird stuff going on in my life, endlessly. Meagan has been there making me giggle and keeping me focused on what really matters in life.

Bring this mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and cover, allow to simmer for about 25 minutes or so.

Stir in the masa harina and beans, continue to simmer, uncovered this time, for about another 45 to 60 minutes.

It's done once it's thick, and the smell is fragrant. Your house should smell fabulous at this point.

Take the chili off the heat and pour it into the prepared crust you set aside earlier. Smooth it out so it's even.

Top with the cheese, in my mind more is better. I love tons of cheese.

Pop it in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10 to 15 minutes, you want the cheese to get all melty and gooey.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. You can unmold it or serve right out of the pan. It can be messy, don't sweat it if the first piece doesn't come out perfect. It's still freaking amazing frito pie.

You can now top with optional toppings if you like. Or toss more cheese on top. You can never have enough cheese. Cheese rules the world.

Serve with a bit old cheesy smile!

Notes

Recipe Source: The New Southwest by Meagan Micozzi of Scarletta Bakes(recipe can be found on page 162)

3.3.3077

You can check out Meagan’s cookbook, The New Southwest on Amazon. It’s an amazing cookbook. Meagan makes sure to explain Southwest ingredients so you know how to stock your pantry. She gives you important tips to help you learn as you cook. I always appreciate when cookbook authors do that. I don’t just want to make the recipe, I want to learn why I’m doing the things it calls for.

Some things you should know about The New Southwest:

It has more than 80 easy-to-follow recipes!

There are colour photos for each recipe! (that’s a huge bonus for me, I love seeing photos for each recipe)

There is a detailed guide to stocking your Southwest pantry, great sections on spices, ingredients, chiles and must-have equipment!

Sidebars full of awesome tips about ingredients and techniques! This is seriously useful, particularly for new cooks.

If you don’t happen to win you can always order Meagan’s stunning cookbook, The New Southwest through Amazon. It’s totally worth the investment. You can also check your local bookstore to see if they stock this stunner. You will not regret buying this cookbook. It has recipes like Vegan Puffy Tacos with Cumin-Spiced Hummus, Pomegranate and Lime Chicken Thighs, and Peanut Butter and Jelly Empanadas. My personal favourites are this Fancified Frito Pie, Street Style Corn, Grilled Apple Pie and Chipotle-Spiced Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Every single recipe I’ve tried rocked my socks off!

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I adore and admire Meagan. She gives me hope that my dream can be realized. I am so incredibly proud of her. This book is a stellar cookbook written by a talented cook. I just happen to be one of the lucky ones who can call her a friend.

I’d like to take a quick second to thank Meagan for asking me to write a blurb for the book. I was beyond honoured, and humbled to do so. I also want to thank you for your continued friendship. You are the wind beneath my wings, woman. Anyone who encourages me to embrace my silly side by taking our elf on the shelf into our construction zone for a photo shoot is a true friend. You get me. And that is everything in life.

Giveaway Closed!

Now enough of this sappiness and onto the giveaway. I have the distinct pleasure of being able to give away 1 copy of Meagan’s cookbook, The New Southwest to 1 of my very lucky readers. It could be you! Enter below!

Meagan’s crew provided me with a copy of her book to review, for free. No moolah exchanged hands so you get honest feedback about the book. I was not paid to do this. I love Meagan so this was my pleasure to do.

The post contains affiliate links. To be specific it links to my Amazon Affiliate account, so if you purchase the book I get a few gold doubloons. I fully intend to use those gold doubloons to stock up on copious amounts of vanilla bean. It’s a sickness, a compulsion really. Send help!

Oh the good old days of foodbuzz! I remember it well. She is very inspiring, indeed as is this pie. It looks wonderful – can’t wait to give it a go. Hope you’re staying warm out there and have had a happy Tuesday!

Thanks John. I love her cookbook, and her blog. We’ve become such good friends. She’s the one I email when I’m pulling my hair out at 3 am cuz I’ve taken on too much and want to scream. She always makes me laugh and realize how silly I’m being. I love her to bits.

Damnit Kim! I usually click on your email alerts when you post … and I’m always impressed. But did you have to include close-up photos of that gooey cheesey goodness? Seriously, I think I’m going to right-click on one of them and make it my laptop wallpaper. Shame on you!

Love my Mexican Cornbread recipe I got from an 82 year old church friend when I was a newlywed 37 years ago…love the Tex-Mex flair Mrs Perkins gave to her Mexican recipes. Wish I had taken the time to copy more down before she died!